Ukraine: The lives of families sheltering in a basement in Donetsk [Photo report]

As the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine seems to be holding, residents of the mainly pro-Russian rebel stronghold of Donetsk assessed damage done to their houses by months of fighting.

Eleonora Tsvetaeva, who has been forced to live in the basement of the Petrovskiy neighbourhood cultural centre, cleans her kitchen floor on a rare trip home due to a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebelsAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesIcons hang on the wall in the home of Eleonora Tsvetaeva, who has been forced to live in the basement of the cultural centreAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesA fish hangs on the wall to dry in Eleonora Tsvetaeva's abandoned homeAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesThis apartment was abandoned after being hit by artillery roundsAndrew Burton/Getty Images

However, many displaced residents cannot return home because their houses were destroyed during the months-long conflict. The Petrovskiy neighbourhood of Donetsk has been heavily attacked by Ukrainian forces, causing most residents to flee, and others to move into basement shelters.

Getty Images photographer Andrew Burton captured the daily lives of families living in a shelter in the Petrovskiy area of Donetsk.

Pavel Makeev, aged five, and Raya Makeeva, aged seven, play while waiting for lunch to be cooked in the basement of the Petrovskiy neighbourhood cultural centre, where they liveAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesPavel Makeev, age five, holds his pet rodent, MashaAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesWomen prepare a lunch of oat pancakes in the kitchen area of the basementAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesHotplates are seen in the makeshift kitchen in the basementAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesPavel Makeev, five, peeks through a doorway while waiting for lunchAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesPavel Makeev washes his hands and face before lunchAndrew Burton/Getty Images

The shelter used to be a community cultural centre. To ensure safety, everyone has been placed in the basement. Sandbags line the windows.

There is a shared area of about 90 square metres, crowded with salvaged beds and furniture. Some people have been living in the basement since June 2014.

There is no central heating in the shelter, so some parents use a small heater found in the ruins of a home to keep the children warm.

Sandbags line the windows of the kitchen area of the Petrovskiy neighbourhood cultural centreAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesSandbags are piled up outside the window in the kitchen area of the basementAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesA cat sits among people's living spaces in the basementAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesA woman leaves her living area in the basementAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesA man sits on his bed in the basementAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesA man reads a newspaper on his bed in the basementAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesBeds are set up in the basement of the Petrovskiy neighborhood cultural centreAndrew Burton/Getty ImagesA tattered Ukrainian flag sits in the clothes drying room in the cultural centre basementAndrew Burton/Getty Images

A drop in violence and moves by both sides to withdraw heavy weapons from the front line has raised hopes a shaky two-week-old ceasefire could hold.

Ukraine's military said the ceasefire has been fully observed in eastern separatist territories, but warned that pro-Russian rebels are using the truce to regroup for new attacks on government positions.